Rescue Fisher More!!!!

When news came that Fisher More may not open for the new 2014 semester, students leapt into action.

“I love it here at Fisher More,” one student told Catholic Family News, “and the thought of not being able to return to school on campus over the spring semester was something I did not want to face.

“When I heard that a few of my friends and classmates had begun a ‘quest’ to save the college,” the student continued, “I was immediately eager to offer my assistance to them.”

A core group of dedicated students launched an Internet fundraising campaign with the ambitious attempt to raise the necessary $250,000 within the space of a week.

The students fanned out on social networking sites, sent out emails, told as many as possible of the initiative and to date have raised just over $53,000.

Some of the students already returned to the Fisher More campus in Fort Worth Texas to work together on this mammoth effort.

“It’s been insane,” another student told CFN, “lots of phone calls, emails and writing have been done over the past few days.”

The students also contacted the press, local radio and TV stations, telephoned potential wealthy donors, and are pursuing every avenue to save their beloved college.

“It is hard work,” said a freshman, “the students get worn out, but all have kept up their spirits and kept working hard… The traditional Catholic world needs a college like Fisher More , and we intend to do all we an to make sure they have one.”

Two students set up the fundraising page at a lightening pace and in the atmosphere of high drama.

One student, being driven by her mother to the school from out of state, was on her cell phone to another student who was actually setting up the page on her computer at home.

“Being in the car I was unable to set it up myself so I contacted another friend to help,” said the freshman. “Over the phone we worked together to set up the account. I texted her the message to put on the site, then she went through and edited it.”

While the one student was finalizing the page, the other “contacted several other FMC students and told them what we were up to and asked them to be ready for it to come up on Facebook so they could share it via all forms of social media as well as emailing it to all people.”

The students are working at a feverish pace to make their plight known to as many people as possible.

Donations are coming at a healthy pace since the students launched the fundraiser less that a week ago. Contributions vary from $5.00 to $5000.

The best donor comment so far is, “I was going to give $1000 but then I saw that the faculty takes the Oath Against Modernism, so I increased it [to $2500].”

And there’s been a lot of prayer. Along with students, faculty, family-members and friends supplicating Heaven, a one-day, nine-hour “Crash Novena” to the Holy Infant of Prague for the College was organized this past Saturday in which Catholics from the world over participated. Others are also saying this Novena each day for a happy resolution.

Fisher More recently became a fully Traditional Catholic College, wherein they pledged loyalty to the Catholic Faith of all time, to the Latin Tridentine Mass, and to openly recognize the damage caused by the Second Vatican Council and its new orientation.

But there was a price to pay. As a result of this steadfast adherence to Tradition, the college recently lost important donors, one of whom had pledged over a million dollars.

Over the Christmas break, the college suffered another disappointment when a large donation they had banked on fell through at the last minute.

The College students themselves are now scrambling, using all their wits, know-how, and self-taught-panic organizing to help keep the college afloat.

“I am the parent of one of the students who started this campaign,” writes one mother. “I watched first hand while this grassroots effort of the students began. This effort was entirely started by the students independent of any adult influence because they love their school and wanted to do whatever they could to save it.”

The students did not stop with the ‘GoFundMe’ site,” the mother continues, “they have been emailing and calling philanthropists, Catholic business owners, local business owners, local radio stations and local news stations. They have worked tirelessly until all hours of the night trying to raise the needed funds.”

Though the funds still needed may seem daunting, the same mother encouraged us to help the students “find just 1000 people who can donate at least $200 each,” or, by means of the vast resources of email and social networking, 2000 people who can donate $100 each.

Catholic Family News supports this important effort. Our journal has done enough reports on the abysmal state of Catholic colleges and universities to realize that an initiative such as Fisher More College is vital for the future of the true Catholic Faith.

It is one thing to complain about the ruinous state of Catholic education, and it is another to do something about it.

Please take inspiration from these dedicated students and donate whatever you can to keep help them save their beloved school.

• “As a Graduate of Mt. St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, MD, the oldest independent Catholic University in the US, I am happy to support Catholic education. May your efforts bear abundant fruit.” – Father G.E.

• “Wish I were young again so I could enroll at Fisher More.”

• “We pray you reach your goal and are able to offer a true Catholic education, so sorely needed in these times. God Bless.”

• “We hope and pray that your wonderful apostolate will continue. We hope one day to send our children here!”

• “I want my 9th grade Seton Home School daughter to study at Fisher More. I am actually considering taking the online program! It has to remain for Traditional Catholic students of all ages!”

• “I pray daily for the return of Catholic colleges to their Catholic identity. Fisher More is grounded in Catholic identity and deserves our strongest support.”

• “We are planning on sending our boys to Fisher More College and will continue to pray the funds will come through!”

• “Institutions like Fisher More must survive if there is any hope for both our Catholic Church and our nation!”

The students have gone from approximately $52,000 yesterday morning to just under $68,000 this morning. A special thank you goes out to all who have donated. Please continue to share this. If the students can reach 915 people willing to donate $200 within the next 24 hours, they can reach their goal. If they can reach one or two ‘special’ donors willing to make a large sum donation, they can reach it even quicker. The school is too new to have alumni to turn too or to have developed strong community relationships as of this time. And it is too small for the students to reach the number of people needed without outside help. The amount raised by the students in such a short period of time (5 days) is an amazing accomplishment in itself but they need a lot of outside help to continue on. Please consider helping these outstanding young students!

The students are up to $105,227. They have had approximately $45,000 in donations today. What seemed to be impossible now seems very possible. I know they still have a long way to go but please keep praying, donating if you can, and sharing their link. Viva Cristo Rey!

They did it!!! They reached their goal! With just a few hours left, the Fisher More Students saved Fisher More College!!! This is a true ‘Cinderella Story’!!! Additional donations can still be accepted now that the goal has been met. All donations are tax deductible and go toward the support of the school. Thank you to all who donated and prayed for the school and the students. Deo Gratias!!!!

Thanks be to God! We would like to tell all our amazing and generous supporters that our prayers, and yours, have been answered! This evening, the students learned that friends of the college had been following our campaign and had finalized arrangements for contributing $150,000 to our initiative. All of the students are overwhelmed by this wonderful news and are extremely grateful to all the other donors who made this day possible. You have helped us reach our goal to save our school. Every single gift has made an impact on our campaign. Thanks to your support, we, as well as those to come, will have a good, affordable, Catholic college to attend. We would also like to give a big shout out to the amazing staff at Gofundme who help us so much with our campaign. God bless you all and thank you so very much from all of us here at Fisher More College! You are all in our constant prayers. Viva Cristo Rey!